


A Veil of Coldness

by fraufi666



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Birthday Party, Christmas, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Nudity, Romance, Suspense, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-28 00:07:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2711735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fraufi666/pseuds/fraufi666
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas is fast approaching and Sweden is determined to construct a project that he has planned for a while for Finland. Yet the Swede later learns that this project is not as easy to execute has he had previously thought. Meanwhile, Finland becomes worried with this even colder and quieter demeanour that the Swede has taken on. Will this threaten their otherwise peaceful relationship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Veil of Coldness

 A sharp blizzard of snow cut through the peaceful alpine landscape. Tino was sitting on his porch, waiting eagerly for Berwald to come home. He huddled in his long coat, hoping that the Swede would make it home safely. As the wind continued to howl through the trees, causing even the porch to sway unsteadily, Tino decided to go back inside. If he had stay outside any longer, he was sure that the wind would carry him away.

To the Finn’s relief, Berwald came back. With his coat covered in snow flakes and boots caked deeply in snow, he had almost looked like a yeti. If it had not been for the glasses, Tino would not have recognised him at all. The Swede made his way slowly to the house, exhausted from his journey. He carried a large load of chopped logs for firewood and quickly got to work with putting them into the fireplace. 

"Mr Sweden, you should relax!" Tino exclaimed, rushing to his side to assist him. Berwald gazed at him quietly with his blue eyes, still too stubborn to follow the smaller man’s advice. 

"I can do it. You sit." Berwald muttered. 

Tino was about to turn around to take a seat when he realised how exhausted the other man was. Against his command, he freed half of the load from the Swede and helped him to light the fire. 

After they had sat down, the Swede turned towards Tino. Spontaneously, he placed a hand over the Finn’s cheek. Tino blushed and smiled shyly as the other man leaned in closer to give him a kiss. Even though they had been together for quite some time now, Berwald’s kisses had always been a pleasant surprise for the Finn, who was used to the other’s modest demeanour. 

"Um…Mr Sweden." Tino asked timidly, still taken aback by the kiss "I want to ask you something.."

Berwald looked directly at him, waiting patiently for him to continue. 

"Well, I was hoping that since Christmas is coming we should go and see the others. What do you think?"

"Ja, sure." Berwald said quietly "If that is what you want."

"Yes! Yes it is what I want!" Tino exclaimed, thrilled at Berwald’s answer. He threw his arms around his neck, beaming enthusiastically. "Thank you so much! I first thought that you didn’t want to go because of Mr Denmark but you seem fine with it! Thank you." He kissed the Swede on the mouth, yet the other did not return the enthusiasm.

"Mr Sweden?" Tino asked worriedly, his violet eyes filled with concern "Y-you don’t want to go?"

"It’s fine." Berwald replied as a matter-of-factly. Standing up suddenly, he made his way to the door of their room. "I’m going to bed now." He added.

Tino nodded quietly, still anxious that he had upset the Swede “Oh…Well good night then.”

Berwald’s eyes were still on the Finn “I was hoping that you could join me.” He whispered.

Tino’s eyes widened and he stood up quickly “Oh! Of course!” He gasped, his heart pounding quickly. He followed the tall Swede dutifully to the bedroom, perspiring in anticipation. 

As soon as they had arrived into their bedroom, the couple quickly stripped off their clothing and climbed into the warm, inviting blankets, which were thick with numerous furs. Even though Tino had seen the Swede undressed many times before, he still could not help but to feel flustered as his eyes set on the man’s bare form. The Finn wrapped his arms around Berwald’s strong shoulders, breathing in the invigorating scent of his aftershave. He had always treasured his aroma and the sensation of the other man’s large form against his own. Berwald slowly caressed him, staring into his eyes as he did so. They embraced before doing any more intimate caresses. Tino blushed as they fondled one another, crying out the Swede’s name as he had felt the other make his way into him. 

After a while, they embraced once more. Tino had fallen asleep instantly from exhaustion, yet Berwald was still wide-awake. Looking at the sleeping blond, he remembered a task that he was supposed to be getting back to doing that Tino was not mean to know about…At least, not yet. Silently, he slipped out of the bed, careful not to startle the other man, got dressed and walked out of the room. Once he had made it to the study, he pulled out what had looked like a blue print and began to study it carefully. This plan would be a success, even though he had to do it over in Mathias’ house during Christmas. Nothing could go wrong with this, and he was going to do everything he can to make sure that everything would work smoothly. Doing this task well was not only going to be important for him, but also Tino as well. 

Tino woke up alone in his bed, confused as to where Berwald was. As he was about to check up on him, Berwald emerged from the study, the blueprint tucked safely away from Tino’s curious gaze. 

"Mr Sweden…is there something wrong?"

"No." Berwald replied shortly. With that, they had dinner without another word. Tino was puzzled by the other man’s behaviour, but he was too nervous to ask him any more questions. 

_I’m sure that if Mr Sweden were worried about something, he’d tell me._ Tino thought carefully, trying to reassure himself. He peered back at the Swede who was quietly finishing off his dinner. Berwald looked up suddenly, causing the other man to shrink in his place. 

"Oh…Um, I was just-" Tino stammered

"It’s okay." Berwald answered. "We should get an early night for the trip tomorrow to Denmark."

"You’re right!" Tino exclaimed quickly "I’ll start packing right away!" As soon as he had finished his dinner, he walked briskly to the bedroom, hastily packing his belongings into his luggage. Berwald followed suit, secretly admiring the Finn’s energetic and motivated nature. It was one of the many traits that Berwald had loved so much about Tino. Seeing him packing his things at such a fast pace, he was even more determined to do the project that he had planned for weeks to the best of his ability. It was what Tino had deserved after all and he knew him well enough to guess that it was what he had wanted for a while now. He continued to pack, avoiding Tino’s eyes in case the Finn was going to inquire him again. 

_Just wait a little longer, Tino and you’ll see._

 

Before the first rays of dawn began to show through the clouds, Berwald and Tino were already making their way through the alpine forest. Both had not slept very well, each anxious about different things. While Tino was too excited about seeing the other Nordics to sleep, Berwald was up, continuously thinking about the project that he had to complete. He took mental notes, figuring out numerous ways in which he could execute this project. Even as they were walking outside, he was still thinking about the project that Tino was even more worried about the Swede’s more noticeable silence. 

"Mr Sweden?" Tino was tugging on his sleeve, his pale face peering at him from the winter darkness. 

"Hmm?"

"Do you think that we can perhaps catch a train for the rest of the way? My feet are so tired." 

Berwald scanned the snowy landscape, realising that they were still too far away from the station. He turned back to the enquiring violet gaze, providing him with a solution.

"We’ll have to keep going for another hour." Berwald replied. Then, against Tino’s expectations, the Swede had picked him up and was carrying him as he walked on. The young man did not weigh very much, so Berwald still trudged through the snow without a struggle. Tino closed his eyes, relieved and safe in his arms.

"Thank you, Berwald…"

After what had seemed like several arduous hours, the two had finally arrived at Mathias’ house. Berwald was tired, yet he still held on the Finn, who was fast asleep in his arms. With his free hand, he rang the doorbell.

In an instant, a familiar tall, blond Dane had flung the door open excitedly.

"Sve! Tino! What a nice surprise to see you guys! Hey, Norge, get over here."

"Close the door, you stupid Dane. You’re letting all the cold air in." Snapped back the reply of a Norwegian man, Lukas. 

Mathias quickly escorted the two inside, closing the door behind them. Tino was still asleep in Berwald’s arms. At first, Mathias had wanted to wake him up, but the Swede signalled him not to.

"I’ll need to take him to bed first." He said.

"No need to worry about that! Norge, you go do it!" Mathias commanded.

"Don’t order me around, you idiot." Lukas scolded. Still, he took the Finn from Berwald’s arms, and with a struggle carried him to the guest bedroom. 

As soon as the other two had left the room, Mathias turned all his attention towards his unexpected guest. 

"So what brings you back here? Hmm? I thought that you didn’t want to come back."

"I didn’t." Berwald confirmed truthfully. "But it’s Christmas after all…"

Mathias’ bright blue eyes lit up as he realised something. “You came here because of Tino, didn’t you? Oh man. You really like him that much?” Mathias leaned closer and placed a hand on the Swede’s shoulder, smirking at the other’s uncomfortable expression. “Why couldn’t you like me _that_ much, Sve? I thought that we had something going on.” 

"Nothing is going on." Berwald answered. He was used to the Dane’s jests but was not looking forward to hearing the rest. He stood up and began to make his way to the guest bedroom. 

"Sve!" Mathias called out "Why _are_ you really here? What do you have planned? Come on, big guy. Don’t leave me in suspense.” 

Berwald paused and considered Mathias’ words. Would he be able to trust him with the details of his project? He knew that he would need some assistance on this project, but the Dane did not seem like the best person to keep a secret. He turned away and continued walking to the bedroom. Maybe he couldn’t tell anything to Mathias, but there was another Nordic in the house that he could trust. 

He walked to the bedroom and sat down at the chair beside the bed. Tino was sleeping soundly and Lukas was just leaving the room. 

"He’s really exhausted. You should probably get some sleep too, Berwald." Lukas advised. 

"Actually, I went here to ask you something." Berwald explained. Lukas looked up in surprise. It was very rare that the Swede had ever asked for favours from anyone. Most of the time, he had kept to himself. This must have been an extremely important exception. 

"And your request is?"

"I rather not ask about it in front of Tino. Can we go and talk about it somewhere private?"

Lukas nodded understandably and walked out of the room, beckoning Berwald to follow him. “Come on then, explain it to me. I’m all ears.” 

The two walked into one of the other bedrooms. Lukas made sure that nobody else was inside before closing the door and allowing the Swede to speak. 

"I have planned a construction for Tino." Berwald said quietly, unfolding the blue print from his pocket. He handed it over to Lukas who inspected it carefully. 

"Will it be realistic to carry out in this short space of time?" Lukas asked worriedly.

"I hope so. I need to get started on it right away. Could I use the workshop to work on it?" 

Lukas shrugged “It’s Mathias’ workshop, but he never uses it. So I guess it should be safe.”

Berwald gave a satisfied nod. “Okay. I will begin working on it tomorrow. You can tell Mathias if you want to, but the less people know about this, the better.” With that, the Swede walked out of the room and headed back to the guest bedroom to check on Tino.

But even though they had seemed alone, the Norwegian knew that there was someone listening in on them. He stepped out swiftly and grabbed the tie of the tall man who was hiding behind the door during the whole time. Mathias gasped, Lukas’ action choking him tightly. He waved his arms around desperately, struggling to get some air. 

"So, what did you hear?" Lukas asked threateningly, glaring at the Dane. 

"I-I can’t breathe!" Mathias choked.

Lukas loosened his grip slightly. After the Dane had gained some air, he began to answer, “I didn’t hear much at all! Just something about Berwald planning a construction from Tino.” Even though he was still in pain, a smile was beginning to play on his lips “So…You plan to use _my_ workshop, yes? What makes you think that I’ll allow you to use it? You know, I can tell Tino about all of this if you want to keep going behind my back about something like this.”

"Try me." Lukas sneered, pulling Mathias towards him. "You _will_ let us use your workshop. And you _will_ keep that big mouth of yours shut, right?” As he said this, he traced his fingers against the other’s lips, causing the taller blond to shiver. He leaned closer, peering at him sensually with violet eyes “Come on, you stupid Dane. You must be good for something, right?” He gripped the man’s thigh tightly before moving his hands closer to his crotch. Teasingly, he brushed his hands over it briefly before he had shoved him onto the floor. Pinning him down, he was on his lap, lifting up his shirt. He stroked Mathias’ chest, enjoying the Dane’s shocked but aroused reaction. Leaning closer to him, he ran his tongue lustfully against his neck. With his head against Mathias’ chest, he could hear the other panting uncontrollably. 

"Don’t stop…" Mathias pleaded quietly, bracing himself for more. He reached up to touch the Norwegian, but the other man pushed him away, leaving him on the floor. 

Without a trace of mercy, Lukas smirked, knowing that he had submitted the other to his power. “If you _really_ want more, you’ll do as I say. Is that understood?” 

"Ja..Of course!" Mathias stammered, blushing as he quickly got up and fixed his clothes. He walked quickly towards the other man and tried to pull him into his arms, yet the other backed away further. 

"You’re not getting any more." Lukas responded coldly. "Now leave me alone." Without hesitation, he walked out of the room quickly, leaving Mathias no time to argue. 

Feeling rejected, the Dane smiled sadly to himself. He didn’t really have a choice now. 

 

Meanwhile, Tino had just woken up to find himself in a bed that wasn’t his own. He rubbed his eyes in confusion, but sighed in relief as he saw Berwald lying beside him.

"Good morning, Mr Sweden…" Tino greeted cheerily, giving the Swede a kiss on the cheek. 

Berwald opened his eyes tiredly and gave a small smile to the other man, before quickly leaping to his feet and dashing downstairs to the workshop. Tino looked at the man in bewilderment. Sadly, he walked downstairs to join the others. 

"Hey, Emil.." Tino asked the Icelandic, who was sitting quietly "Do you know what is going on with Mr Sweden?"

"How should I know?" Emil shrugged. He turned to Lukas "You wouldn’t happen to know, would you?"

Lukas stared back at them blankly. “No.” He replied shortly. “Now eat your breakfast.” Yet when Emil continued to badger him later on, he leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “I’ll tell you later. Tino is not meant to know.”

For the rest of the day, Tino was searching through the entire house for Berwald. He had not seen him since this morning and it was making him incredibly worried. _Was it something I had done wrong?_ Tino thought. Even though the Swede had smiled as he awoke to the kiss, his eyes appeared so cold. It terrified him. Despite being in a relationship Berwald for so long, it felt like he had barely known him. It was as if there was a veil of coldness shrouded around him that hid his emotions. When Tino tried to get closer, the man would retreat further. Even though he did show him gestures of love, it was so hard to tell what the Swede was really thinking. 

_Stop thinking like this Finny!_ Tino thought to himself angrily. He couldn’t help but to feel worried as to where their relationship really was going. Perhaps he had been too shy…maybe, if he were more direct, Berwald would react more strongly towards him. 

_I need to stop getting intimidated over him…_ Tino realised _…but he’s just so creepy. I know! I’ll speak to Mr Denmark about this!_

"Hey, Mr Denmark!"

The Dane spun around instantly “Hello, Finny! Did you sleep well?” 

"Oh I slept very well, thank you. I was just wondering..Do you know what is going on with Berwald?" 

"Well, of course I’ll tell you!" Mathias said suddenly, "He…" But as he said this, he caught the sharp glare of Lukas’ violet eyes. Instantly, he felt himself sweating as he recalled the Norwegian pinning him onto the floor and his sensual caresses which robbed all words and self-control from his being. He remembered how much his body was aching for the Norwegian’s touches to advance; yet he had pushed him away mercilessly, shattering all his hopes.

”..Um..” Mathias felt his cheeks turn red at the memory “Actually, I can’t seem to remember! I think it must have been something to do… with the beer!” With that, he walked quickly to the fridge to pull out a can. Still improvising, he pointed at the label “Look, I think the Danish beer just didn’t agree with him very well…You know how weak Berwald’s stomach can be sometimes..Big man, but queasy stomach. Oh dear.”

Tino looked baffled “Really? Was that all it was? The beer? He never seemed to get ill when I gave him beer.”

"Ah, you know what Berwald is like to things that are unfamiliar to him. He may be able to handle your stuff, but when it comes to something a little more awesome, he just can’t seem to stomach it. Poor guy. I think you should leave him to recuperate for a bit." 

The Finn’s eyes lit up “I can take care of him! Where is he?”

"No no.." Mathias said dismissively, getting more desperate with lying for so long "When he gets ill like that, he gets really bad hives. You wouldn’t want to see your boyfriend like that, trust me. The last time I saw him with those hives, I couldn’t sleep for weeks." 

"It’s okay…" Tino smiled "I can deal with him, no matter how he looks. He’s still Mr Sweden to me!" 

To Mathias’ relief, Lukas came to the rescue. “You can’t see him.” He said warningly, blocking Tino’s way “He’s really not well. Give it a few days and he’ll get better.”

Tino nodded sadly, feeling hopeless. “Okay…Well, do you need me to help around the house or something?”

"You can wash that pile of dishes in the kitchen sink, since Mathias is too lazy to do it." Lukas said nonchalantly. With that, he left the room. 

"Hey, I’m not _that_ lazy!” The Dane shouted back in protest, but by then Lukas was already out of earshot.  

Quietly, Tino went to the kitchen and began to wash the dishes, staring out into the window as he did so. Outside, a thick blanket of snow had covered a great proportion of the landscape. He could faintly see the rooftops of the other buildings in the distance as a veil of mist concealed them as well. 

_Mr Sweden…_  Tino thought sadly, as he thought of his partner _Please, be okay._

 

Far from being ill, Berwald was busy hammering and making measurements of the planks of wood in the workshop. He was working for a while until he realised that the wood supply in Mathias’ workshop was not enough to complete the construction. Thinking quickly, he took out a piece of butcher’s paper and made some calculations to estimate how much wood he would need to order. Then, he rang up the closest hardware store for some planks of wood. He was a little confused as to why the man from the store had stuttered so nervously on the phone, but he seemed willing to deliver the wood over as soon as possible. 

Then, Berwald retreated back to his room to sleep. But even though he had looked like he was sleeping well, his mind was still on the project. He had slept for so long that he did not even notice the Finn walk into his room quietly to sit by his side. It was clear that Berwald was not ill at all, like what Mathias had claimed, but Tino knew that something was up. With his glasses removed and hair messy, the Swede looked a lot younger and less intimidating than he usually did. Tino shyly moved closer and stroked his hair, concerned for the ongoing silence of the blond. Then, with some hesitation, he planted a shaky kiss on the sleeping man’s lips. Berwald stirred for a while, startling Tino. Worried that he might have angered the Swede, Tino quickly departed the room. 

Tino paced around the corridor aimlessly, already regretting his action. _Stupid Finny!_ He thought to himself angrily _._ He should have known better than to disturb the Swede. Ever since they had arrived, Berwald was becoming more distant. Perhaps it was not such a good idea that he had pushed Berwald to allow them to stay over at Mathias’ house. He should have known that things were still rather tense between the two, yet he did not know what. Berwald very rarely spoke about his feelings or Mathias in particular. In fact, he rarely spoke at all. Tino slumped against the wall sadly, upset with himself that he could not figure out what was wrong with him. Did the Swede lose interest in him? Or did he just grow too tired of his company? Tino sighed, wishing that he had not been so irritating to the older man. It would have been the most plausible explanation after all. Tino was constantly speaking about random events and always getting excited or emotional over anything that happened. Yet Berwald was always so calm and taciturn. Did Tino’s chatter get on his nerves?

_Oh why, Berwald. Why don’t you just tell me what is wrong? I’ll leave you alone if that is what you want. But please, don’t stay silent all the time._

Tino’s silent cries remained unanswered as he stared at the floor. With his head in his hands, he sobbed quietly, fearful of waking up the others. He continued to sit in the same place silently, too frightened to go back to the guest bedroom in case he would bother Berwald, yet he didn’t want to go to the other rooms to worry the other Nordics. Exhausted from crying for so long, he closed his eyes and fell asleep on the floor.

The next day, Tino awoke on the floor with a blanket wrapped around him. Confused, he went downstairs to meet the other Nordics for breakfast. 

"God morgen!" Mathias called enthusiastically at the tired Finn "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept well." Tino answered, trying to forge a smile "Thank you for the blanket, by the way."

Mathias looked puzzled “…I didn’t put the blanket on you.” He said, “Anyway, you shouldn’t be sleeping on the floor. I have a big house. You should sleep in one of the rooms. Don’t make me look so poor.” He said with a smile. 

"I know…But it’s hard to sleep without Berwald nearby." Tino admitted truthfully. 

Mathias’ smile drooped “…Oh yes. _That_.” 

Tino’s violet eyes were suddenly filled with desperation as he clung onto the Dane “What is wrong with him, Mathias? Did he say something to you? Was he angry with me? Please, don’t get angry, but I walked into the guest bedroom and checked on him last night to see how he was…and he looked well, just tired.”

"Oh. Wow..The hives must have ceased a lot quicker than I thought." Mathias remarked in artificial amazement. He placed a hand on the Finn’s shoulder "Now, please don’t worry about it. He’s just very tired. Just leave him to his own devices and he’ll come around. Trust me on this." He smiled again.

The Finn nodded, feeling confident from the smile “Alright..I’ll try.” Mathias clapped him on the shoulder “Good. Now! Let’s go and eat something, shall we?”

Down in the workshop, Berwald peered out of the window. Another blizzard was coming in. He sighed, realising that the wood might not deliver in time. How would he finish the construction? He gazed at the blue print desperately. He needed the wood as soon as possible. He had already looked through some of the firewood to see a substitute, yet he knew that it was not practical for the project. It was paramount to do the best job he can. If he were to use any random piece of wood, the construction might not be able to hold up so well. 

 

For the next couple of days, Tino spent more time with the other Nordics, too anxious to disturb Berwald. It still puzzled him as to why the Swede was so silent. One day, as he was just getting ready to sleep on a couch, he began to think about the Swede again. As quietly as he could, he crept into the guest bedroom. But Berwald wasn’t there. Confused, he walked downstairs, searching almost every room for him. 

But just as he was about to give up, he heard a distinct tapping sound coming from beneath the house. Curious, he went down into the basement to investigate. 

_Who would be working like this at this time of the night?!_ Tino wondered. He opened the door, determined to help Berwald if he needed it.

Yet as soon as he reached the workshop, Berwald threw a large, white blanket over something he was working on and spun around. His piercing blue gaze was even more icy than usual, but at the same time it was filled with such a hot, fiery rage. 

"What are you doing here?!" Berwald demanded angrily. 

Tino cowered back in fear. He had never seen the Swede so furious before. “..I…I was just…I was just wondering where you were.”

"Get out." Berwald snapped. 

But the Finn was too stubborn. It had been days since he had got to speak to his partner and he needed to know why he was acting so strangely “Berwald. Please. You haven’t spoken to me in ages. Why are you so…distant? This isn’t like you.”

A frown deepened further into Berwald’s features “Don’t make me say this again. I want you out of here. Please…Leave.”

"Berwald, did I say something to upset you? Oh please, don’t hate me." The Finn was tugging against the man’s sleeves, peering into his eyes tearily. "If I did anything to make you angry, tell me now."

The final words of the Finn were enough fuel to start Berwald’s flame of anger. Before Tino could do anything, the larger man shoved the younger man out of the room. Without even looking back, he slammed the door and continued to work.

Tears streamed down Tino’s face as he shook from other’s action. It did not hurt him, yet it was the cold, and distant expression in Berwald’ eyes that had stabbed him directly in the heart. Hurt and furious, Tino shouted back at the closed door.

"You…You never let anyone get close to you! Just shut others out whenever you feel like it. Well, I don’t care! You can stay in there! The veil of coldness that you shield yourself in seems to be more comfortable to you anyway! Freeze in there! Freeze in there! I don’t care anymore!" 

Berwald heard the cries, yet his face remained blank, devoid from any expression. He resumed back to his work, blocking out the present problem with the bigger task at hand. He had already finished using the last plank of wood in the supply. Hopefully by tomorrow, he could receive the rest of the wood. But it was only when the Finn had finally left that he had dropped the hammer, the words finally sinking in. 

The workshop was silent, but Berwald’s mind wasn’t. 

 

Just like he had expected, the wood finally arrived. Berwald went outside to take the planks of wood indoors. Seeing this, the other Nordics desperately tried to distract the Finn from going outdoors.

"No, there’s a blizzard out there!" Mathias cried, "You have to remain here."

"But I just saw Berwald.." Tino protested "And I said some awful things to him last night. I must apologise!"

Lukas leapt in front of the Finn “You’re too late. He’s already cross. You better stay away if you know what is good for you.”

Tino cringed at the words but nodded sadly. Emil kept his eyes on the window, making sure that Berwald was getting down into the workshop safely. 

"Cheer up, Tino." Mr Puffin squawked, "Just keep out of his way!"

The Finn remained silent and stalked to his bedroom. Lukas turned to the Dane.

"I’ll try and talk some sense into him, you go and help Berwald with the construction."

"Okay! See you later!"

Mathias walked down into the cellar, entering into the workshop. Berwald was still busy working. Dark rings formed under his cold gaze. 

"Oh man, you look terrible, Sve!" Mathias gasped "Why don’t you just take a rest."

"…I have to get this done." Berwald said quietly, still hammering away.

The Dane stood beside him, watching the Swede’s strong back as he worked. Seeing this brought back unspoken memories, which he thought were forgotten. He leaned closer and swept a hand over his back.

"Sve..Do you remember the times we had spent together here?" Berwald continued working, as if Mathias had never spoken. Mathias closed his eyes, remembering the brief, yet cruelly short moments between the two. It was a tumultuous time for the both of them, back when they had all lived in the same house. At the time, Tino and Berwald were only friends, yet the Swede continued to feel strong rivalry against the Dane. It was complicated, and neither thought of this for a while. But Mathias wouldn’t let it go.

"I remember…when we were together." Mathias recalled. "We were so happy together, constructing furniture for each other’s stores."

"…We weren’t helping each other. We were rivals." Berwald corrected. Back at the time, they were each competing for their furniture stores. After Mathias had miserably lost, he continued to taunt at the Swede, claiming that he had cheated. Yet something had happened…something had changed. There was a certain unspeakable passion, but even after it was acted upon, the two went on separate ways. 

"I miss those times." Mathias admitted quietly. He nestled against Berwald’s shoulder, breathing in the other man’s aftershave "You…We…We had such fun." He placed a hand to the Swede’s face, yet the other still did not falter. "Why can’t we just go back to the way things were?" Another hand touched Berwald’s hand, causing him to drop the hammer. Mathias’ smooth hand stroked against Berwald’s calloused one, as he quickly realised how much harder the other man had worked. Lips leaned against his face as he tried to kiss something that was now unattainable. "Kom nu, Berwald…" He whispered seductively "..Kys mig.." 

Just as his lips were about to touch the Swede’s, Berwald pulled away and continued to work, completely unaffected by the Dane’s advances. Mathias looked crestfallen “…You really do love Tino more than me, don’t you? Even after he had shouted at you. He already hates you now, Berwald. Why can’t you just leave him.”

"…Not for much longer." Berwald answered.

"…What? What do you mean?" Mathias asked, but just as he had wanted to touch him again, the door flew open.

"Stop being a darn nuisance, you stupid Dane." Lukas scolded. Mathias quickly drew back and picked up the tools and started to work. He turned to the Swede. "Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"No thanks. Just make sure that Tino is okay." 

Lukas nodded and obediently went upstairs. Tino was still red-eyed and teary, clutching onto a tissue as he sat on the couch miserably. 

"You really shouldn’t worry yourself so much like this. He’ll forgive you. If you continue to badger him, he’ll only be more agitated."

"When will this end?" Tino asked his eyes on Lukas’ calm ones. It confused him as to how both the Norwegian and Berwald could show such little emotion about anything. Either way, he didn’t seem to be too bothered by the Finn’s sadness. 

"It’ll be alright." He reassured him. But there was nothing that was going to put Tino’s mind to rest.

 

The next day was just as miserable. Tino rarely spoke to any of the Nordics, who all seemed very concerned for him. Berwald was still in the workshop, unaware of all that was going on. After seeing Tino look so glum, Lukas stood before him, offering him a hand so he could get up from the floor. 

"Let’s go for a walk. It looks like you need it."

The two walked outside for a while. It was already getting quite dark, yet the blizzard from the other day had already cleared. As they walked together, Tino began to blurt out all that had bothered him since they had arrived, and his fears of losing the Swede. He spoke about how he wished the man would express himself more to him and that he could understand him better. The Norwegian listened quietly as they walked. As it grew colder, they had to turn back. Around this time, the sun was close to setting as they arrived back to the house. 

Mathias was frantic with excitement to Lukas as soon as they walked in. 

"Norge! Can we go now? It’s almost ready!"

"Shut up." Lukas snapped. "Get back to the workshop. We’ll be with you in a while."

He noticed the confusion in Tino’s expression. “Everything will make sense in a moment.” He explained to him. “Just be patient.”

Tino scratched his head, wondering how all his problems from these past days could just vanish in a few minutes. Still, he listened to the Norwegian and walked into the lounge with him. 

Emil came into the room a short while after. “It’s time.” He said.

Lukas nodded and stood up, beckoning Tino to follow him. They walked into the dining room together, which was pitch black for some strange reason. With the flick of a switch, Tino was greeted with a large banquet and all the others sitting at the table. As soon as they saw him, they burst into song.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Tino! Happy birthday to you!" 

The Finn was speechless as tears filled his eyes. He was so upset about the current situation that he had almost forgotten his own birthday. Yet the others seemed to remember without him telling them. Knowing this, he felt so grateful. Emil placed a knife in his hand. “Go on, make a wish and cut the cake!”

Tino smiled and quickly blew out the candles. He followed Emil’s command. But as he felt the knife touch the plate, Mathias laughed. 

"What’s so funny?" Lukas snapped.

"He’s touched the bottom!" Mathias chuckled "Now he’ll have to kiss the nearest boy!" 

Lukas turned pink and ran outside. When he arrived back, he was with Berwald. 

"Here, you can give him a kiss now."

Tino looked embarrassed as he was facing the Swede again. But Berwald showed no sign of anger or refusal. He took the Finn’s face into his hands and kissed him right in front of all the Nordics. 

"…Mr Sweden.." Tino blubbered. He felt so stupid now, especially for the way that he had jumped to conclusions.  

Berwald gave a small smile, as if to forgive him and took him by the hand. “Come outside with me for a moment.”

"…But, I-"

"Just go with him!" Mathias shouted cheerily, helping himself to the cake. 

As the two walked outdoors, Berwald placed his hands over the Finn’s eyes. “No peeking.” He muttered.

Tino’s heart thumped in excitement. Then, once they had arrived to where he had wanted them to be, he removed his hands from his face. “You can look now.”

A large, wooden sauna stood directly in front of him. Tino blinked a few times to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. 

"Mr Sweden…Did you make this?" He looked at the sauna again and then back at the Swede. The other nodded. 

Suddenly, it had all made sense as to why Berwald had been acting the way he had. Tino could not love the man any more than he did now.

"Oh, Mr Sweden…" He ran his hands over the door and then walked inside. "It’s beautiful! But…why didn’t you tell me that you were planning to make me something?"

Berwald followed him in. “Because I didn’t want to give you false hope.” He said, placing his hands on his shoulders “In case the project didn’t work.”

Tino leaned in closer and gave his a slow, tender kiss. Even though the Swede’s expressions were rather neutral, a slight blush appeared on his cheeks.

"How will I ever repay you?" Tino asked, placing a hand onto his face. “After all I have said…I was so horrible to you.”

A finger touched against Tino’s mouth, silencing him. “You already did.” Berwald answered shortly, finally putting the Finn’s mind at ease. It was only a split second later that the Swede had returned the kiss. They embraced, so grateful to be within each other’s arms again. Tino could not have asked for a better birthday party. 

"We should get back to the others…" Tino said reluctantly. But reading the Finn’s mind, Berwald shut the door and began to remove his coat. 

"Or we can try out the sauna.."

"Oh that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Tino exclaimed. They both continued to kiss with more passion, removing each other’s clothes to enjoy the heat. 

But just as they embraced, the door flung open to reveal a dumfounded Mathias and a neutral Lukas.

"Oh…Gee. I had no idea you guys were busy." Mathias said, trying to suppress a chuckle. He turned to the Norwegian "I wish that you could do the same thing with me, Norge."

"Don’t be an idiot. Shut the door and come with me."

As soon as the door closed, the two departed, leaving Tino and Berwald together in the sauna. Tino took off the Swede’s glasses, revealing the man’s dazzling, icy-blue eyes. He felt himself fall through them, but despite the apparent coldness, he felt his body heat rise as the Swede’s eyes continued to gaze deep into his soul.    

"Kiitos, rakkaani…" He whispered, wrapping his slender legs around Berwald’s large, strong torso. 

 

When they had arrived back in the house, Mathias looked slightly sulky from witnessing the scenario earlier. He was a little envious, but he knew that he probably didn’t deserve anything of the sort. Berwald did love Tino, far more than he had ever thought of Mathias. There was no use in denying that.

But to his surprise, Lukas suddenly leapt out in front of him, slamming him against the wall, kissing him fiercely. Mathias pulled back, stunned at the unexpected, yet pleasant gesture. 

"N-Norge…what was that for?"

"Well you followed my advice and didn’t tell the secret, so I guess I have to pay you back, just like I had promised." To the Dane’s delight, the Norwegian began to lift up his own shirt. 

"Of course…" Mathias whispered, running his hands over Lukas’ chest. "Let’s go to my room then…" As soon as he said this, Lukas grabbed a hold of Mathias’ tie and pulled him into the bedroom, slamming the door behind them. 

 

Meanwhile, Emil sat at the table, eating cake next to Mr Puffin. He had no idea where everyone else had gone to, but at the same time, he didn’t really want to know.  

"Well, what do they expect?" Emil sighed half-heartedly, taking a spoonful of the rich chocolate cake in front of him "…Can’t let this cake go to waste." He ate the cake contently until he heard a few moans of pleasure from the room above him. Awkwardly, he scooted over to a chair closer to the window so he wouldn’t have to hear them. 

"Maybe Norge and Mathias should get a sauna too." Mr Puffin joked.

"I have no idea what is going on!" Emil said quickly, his face growing hot "Let’s just go…And I don’t know, watch some TV." 

After leaving the sauna, Tino walked with Berwald outside in the dark back to Mathias’ house. He held the man arms, burying his head in his chest. He could feel the Swede’s heartbeat accelerate as quickly as his own. In that moment, Tino felt that he had finally dissipated the veil of coldness that once shrouded Berwald’s feelings. Nobody had ever made Berwald’s heart beat as quickly as Tino had. 

…Yet Berwald knew that, for he was already aware that the Finn was the one for him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Danish translation key (This is not very long, as I do not speak either of these languages. I apologise for any inaccuracies in my translations):
> 
> Ja: Yes (or just an indication of agreement. It means the same in German as in Swedish, Danish and Norwegian).
> 
> God morgen: Good morning
> 
> Kom nu: Come now
> 
> Kys mig: Kiss me
> 
> Finnish translation key:
> 
> Kiitos: Thank you
> 
> Rakkaani: My dear


End file.
